asked the Minister for the Civil Service what matters he expects to discuss at his next meeting with the Civil Service unions.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service what subjects he expects to discuss at his next meeting with trade union representatives of the Civil Service.

I hope to meet the CCSU on 30 March to discuss the Civil Service motor mileage allowance arrangements.

asked the Minister for the Civil Service if he will consider making changes to allow civil servants to raise complaints of maladministration with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration.

No. Civil servants are excluded from the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration only on personal matters. The Government share the view of successive Administrations that the commissioner was not established to investigate relations between the state as employer and its employees. The means of redress available to civil servants is in no way inferior to those available to workers generally, and it is not considered appropriate for this group to have the right, not available to others, to invoke the parliamentary commissioner's intervention in personal grievances.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received, and from what bodies, concerning toll charges on the Severn bridge; what reply he has sent; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend received a letter from the Royal Automobile Club which he answered by explaining the Government's continuing intention to recover the full costs of the bridge through tolls.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to reduce the outstanding debt on the Humber bridge.

Responsibility for the debt rests with the Humber Bridge Board, which has, by statute, 60 years in which to repay all the loans. It is too early to conclude that it will be unable to meet its obligations, particularly if tolls continue to be pitched at a sensible level which takes account of the considerable savings in time and money made by those who use the bridge.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what matters he intends to discuss when he next meets the chairman of the British Railways Board.

I shall discuss a number of flatters of mutual interest at my next meeting with the chairman.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he will now consider bringing in legislation to require lorry manufacturers to fit spray-reducing mudguards and flaps on all heavy vehicles built in the United Kingdom and requiring similar fittings on all imported vehicles.

A committee of the British Standards Institution is currently preparing a technical standard for spray suppression and I shall introduce regulations as soon as that standard is available.The regulations will apply to both United Kingdom-built and imported vehicles.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of British Rail to discuss investment in new rolling stock.

I frequently meet the chairman of British Railways Board to discuss matters of mutual interest, including plans for investment in new rolling stock.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on motorway and trunk road development in Hampshire.

The M27 will be completed next year. We plan to let the main contracts for the construction of the M3 extension to Bar End very shortly and the A34 Whitway diversion this summer. We are generally making good progress on the remaining schemes in the programme.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if, in the light of the control system used over the Christmas-new year period where a drink-drive campaign was confined to certain areas of the country, he is now able to measure the effectiveness of this type of campaign.

The results of the evaluation which we are carrying out should be available in the next 2 to 3 months.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received from the Merseyside county council concerning the effects of the proposals in the Transport Bill on levels of fares and services on Merseyside.

The leader of the council wrote to my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State on 1 February, and on 24 February the chief executive sent the Department copies of papers that had been put to the council's transport committee.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to conclude his consideration of the Serpell report.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Swansea, East (Mr. Anderson).

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made concerning the introduction of private capital into the road construction industry.

We are continuing to discuss the practical possibilities and problems involved in the introduction of royalty finance with the Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors and the City.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a specific provision within the public services obligation grant to British Rail for a sufficient level of investment expenditure to retain a level of orders from British Rail Engineering Ltd. to maintain the existing railway workshop capacity at Shildon, Horwich, Temple Mills and Swindon.

No. The decline in demand for the products of these workshops has arisen because of the changing needs of the railway businesses, and not because of limitations in the funds available for investment.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether the policy used to determine the revenue support element for buses of the transport supplementary grant to form part of the protected expenditure limit under the current Transport Bill will be identical to that used for determining the revenue support element of the transport supplementary grant for the English shire counties; and what is that policy.

In deciding how much revenue support expenditure to accept for transport supplementary grant, whether for a metropolitan county or a shire county, I take account of the public transport needs of the area, and of the likely costs and benefits of the policies and programmes set out in the annual TPP submission.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the submission from the Bus and Coach Council in its report, "The Future of the Bus".

I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, Central (Sir Anthony Grant) earlier today.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is satisfied that in the surfacing of the M25 the materials and techniques used throughout are such as to keep noise and vibration to a minimum.

Yes.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether Colin Buchanan and Partners has begun its study of methods of road and rail investment appraisal with special reference to the Birmingham via Oxford and Reading to the south coast and London-Paddington routes; and whether he will withhold approval of the extension of the M40 until he has considered its report.

Colin Buchanan and Partners began work on a pilot study of the problems of developing a menthodology for appraising rail and trunk road investments on a comparable basis in December 1982. The study, which was commissioned by the Department of Transport at the request of the standing advisory committee on trunk road assessment, is due to finish by the end of March 1983.The work is being based on a case study and because much data are known to exist and some relevant work has already been done in respect of the Oxford-Birmingham corridor it has been selected as the appropriate case. The purpose of the study is, however, to throw light on methodological problems. The more directly relevant question for the M40 inquiry is whether any additional investment in rail projects could seriously affect the return on the M40 scheme. This issue has already been covered in studies by the Department and the British Railways Board which show that substantial improvements in rail services on the Southampton-Oxford-Birmingham route, the west coast main line and the midland main line would have only a very small impact on road traffic in the M40 and M1 corridors and hence on the benefits of the M40.The Colin Buchanan and Partners study will take account of this earlier work but will not in any way supersede it. It is therefore unlikely to have any direct relevance to the inquiry into the extension of the M40.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the 20 contractors who have received the largest share of motorway and trunk road construction contracts in each of the last three years, giving for each contractor the value of the contracts received.

During each of the three years 1980, 1981 and 1982 contracts over £100,000 in value for motorway and trunk road construction in England were awarded as follows:

	£ million
1980
1. Costain Civil Engineering Ltd.	69

asked the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has received any representation from the Greater London council concerning the detrunking of all roads within the Greater London council area.

The Greater London council wrote on 6 January notifying the Department of Transport of certain resolutions passed by the appropriate committees of the council concerning the transfer to the council of responsibilities for trunk roads in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he hopes to be able to start public consultation procedures on the A40 Western circus and Gipsy corner junction improvement schemes in Ealing.

Public consultation will take place between 5 April and 24 May, and there will be a public exhibition of possible schemes between 12 and 16 April.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to announce his decision on the South Woodford to Barking relief road public inquiry; and when he expects construction of the road to commence.

We have not yet received the inspector's report, and my right hon. Friend will then, in conjunction with the Secretary of State for the Environment, want to consider carefully the details of this very major scheme. I would hope a decision could be reached by the end of the year. Thereafter, if the decision is favourable, there will be some months of detailed planning work before construction can begin.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he next expects to meet the chairman of the Port of London Authority to discuss the future of the royal dockyards.

I meet the chairman of the Port of London Authority from time to time on matters of common interest, but I have at present no plans for such a meeting.

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received about the proposal to dispose of the heavy goods vehicle and public service vehicle testing facilities to Lloyd's register testing authority.

Since the turn of the year I have received two letters—one from the hon. Member dated 22 February and one from my right hon. Friend the member for Gloucester (Mrs. Oppenheim) dated 2 March.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the visit of the Minister of State to the disarmament conference in Geneva.

During his visit to Geneva from 9 to 11 March my right hon. Friend addressed the committee on disarmament, where he put forward a new British initiative designed to help the negotiations on a convention to ban chemical weapons. He also met the heads of the United States delegations to the INF and START talks, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the president of the International Red Cross.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 9 March, Official Report, c. 435–6, concerning transfers of staff from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service posts, in which grades in the Diplomatic Service he considers it necessary to fill from within the Diplomatic Service on all occasions; and how many posts this represents.

The grades in the Diplomatic Service which it is normally necessary to fill from within the Diplomatic Service on all occasions are the senior grades—heads of mission and Ministers overseas and officers of the under-secretary rank at home—certain counsellor posts—heads of smaller missions overseas and heads of Department at home—and the majority of posts in the training and recruitment grades. These together represent about 450 posts out of the total of 2,432 posts at third secretary level and above.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove on 9 March, Official Report, c. 435–6, if he will break the figures down of transfers of posts from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service to indicate how many such staff were transferred in each year.

The number of secondments which have taken place from the home Civil Service to the Diplomatic Service in each year since May 1979 is as follows:

Year	Number of Secondments to the Diplomatic Service
1979 (May-December)	39
1980	38
1981	44
1982	46
	167

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to increase the numbers of exchanges between industry and commerce and commercial and economic posts in the Diplomatic Service.

The number of these exchanges has increased over the past year, during which there have been five new secondments from the Diplomatic Service to industry and commerce and one new secondment from industry to the Diplomatic Service. As stated in the answer which my right hon. Friend gave to my hon. Friend on 9 March—[Vol. 38, c. 436]—we have plans for further secondments in both directions.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out the respective responsibilities of a first secretary (economic) and a first secretary (commercial) in the Diplomatic Service.

The task of a first secretary (economic) is the reporting and analysis of economic, financial and trade policy issues, as well as making representations for Her Majesty's Government's views on such matters. A first secretary (commercial) is concerned with the promotion of United Kingdom exports, the provision of advice to business men, and the stimulation of inward investment in the United Kingdom. In practice, the two areas of responsibility frequently overlap. In many posts, first secretaries (commercial) also cover economic reporting; in others, first secretaries (economic) work part-time on trade promotion.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the consultants engaged by his Department since May 1979 were engaged other than by a process of competitive tender; and, if so, whether he will list them.

Consultants are engaged on the basis of competitive tender except where the field of relevant expertise or the time constraints make this impossible. Of the consultants listed in my right hon. Friend's letter of 21 February in reply to the hon. Member's question of 15 February, Howarth and Howarth (UK) Ltd., Mr. J. Cornforth and Professor P. Thody were engaged by the diplomatic wing of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office without tender. Of the contracts let by the Overseas Development Administration, the assignment for computer studies went to P. A. Computer and Telecommunications Limited as a result of competitive tender. The remaining contracts with individuals or groups of individuals, who advised the ODA, were let without competition.Aid-financed technical co-operation consultancies are subject to competitive tender wherever this is feasible and desirable. Whenever a waiver is proposed, there are clear procedures to be followed. About half the contracts of this kind referred to in my right hon. Friend's letter were let without competition.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council of 14 and 15 March.

The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 14 March. I represented the United Kingdom, and my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Trade was present for the discussions on trade items.There was a ministerial negotiating conference on 15 March with Portugal. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State represented the United Kingdom at this, and at the subsequent meeting of Ministers to discuss the Genscher-Colombo proposals.I am pleased to report that the Council reached agreement on the two regulations which provided the legal base for paying the refunds amounting to £568 million for 1982. As a result we are on course to receive payment by the end of this month. Ministers also had a full and valuable discussion of the future financing of the Community and the budgetary problems. I stressed the need for rapid progress. The subject will be discussed further at next week's European Council on the basis of a report from the presidency and the Commission.The Commission reported to the Council on the Spanish Government's welcome move in relation to problems which have arisen concerning the implementation of the 1970 EC-Spain agreement and the imbalance of trading opportunities arising under it. This is the subject of a separate answer by my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Trade.The Council had a further discussion of the question of extending the franchise for the 1984 European elections. No agreement was reached, but Foreign Ministers will consider the question again in the margins of the European Council.New regulations for energy demonstration projects up to 31 December 1983 were agreed by Ministers. There was also agreement on a draft mandate for the Community to participate in the negotiations for a new international sugar agreement and on reconstruction aid to the Lebanon for a water supply project in Damour near Beirut.Ministers took note of the presidency's report on the state of work on Greenland's application to withdraw from the Community and called for a more detailed report in time for discussion at the April Council.

Married man with two children
	Average manual earnings	Income tax	NIC*	Net income†	£ per week Real net income* (at 1979–80 prices)
1979–80	101·10	19·14	6·57	83·39	83·39
1980–81	117·60	22·90	7·94	95·31	81·94
1981–82	128·60	26·20	9·97	102·30	78·89
1982–83‡	140·2	27·95	12·27	110·92	79·79
* National insurance contributions are at the not contracted-out rate.
† After income tax, NIC and child benefit.
‡ Provisional.

Real net income has been calculated by reference to movements in the general index of retail prices.Average manual earnings for financial years are calculated from monthly estimates derived by interpolating between the new earnings survey results for successive Aprils by reference to movements in the average earnings index—whole economy.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report such information as he has available showing the increase in the amount of (a) income tax, (b) capital gains tax and (c) capital transfer tax which has accrued since the removal of exchange control as a result of the increase in the

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the average weekly earnings for an adult male manual worker for 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982; how much tax was payable on each such level of earnings by a married man with two children under 11 years of age; and what was the residual net income and the real purchasing power of the residual net income.

Information is in the following table, which assumes that the taxpayer has no income tax allowances or reliefs other than his personal allowance and that his wife is not working. Child benefit has been included at the average level for the financial year.proportion of income earning and other assets held overseas by persons normally resident or domiciled in the United Kingdom; whether the increase in revenue is consistent with the known outflow of capital from the United Kingdom over this period; and if he will include in the

Income tax payable on income from overseas charged to tax under cases IV and V of schedule D for the two years ended 5 April 1981 was £31 million and £.38.8 million, respectively. In general, the amounts assessed would have been based on the income declared for the two years ended 5 April 1980.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions there have been for tax evasion in each of the last five years.

The number of prosecutions brought (a) by the Board of Inland Revenue and (b) by the Board of Customs and Excise in respect of fraudulent VAT evasion, for each of the last five years, is as follows:

Year ending	(a)	(b)
31 March 1978	158	142
31 March 1979	197	107
31 March 1980	157	109
31 March 1981	208	120
31 March 1982	192	98

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider the advantages of Glasgow airport and the container terminal at Greenock when he studies the recommendations of the working party on free ports.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 March 1983, c. 66]: If the Government decided to implement the recommendations of the working party on free ports, careful consideration would be given to all bids for the experimental facilities envisaged in its report.

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will consider policies pursued in Sweden and in other countries to reduce the direct cost of employing indigenous seafarers by the introduction of a special seafarers' tax liability; and if he will introduce similar policies in the United Kingdom.

[pursuant to his reply, 14 March 1983, c. 65]: I am aware of the policies pursued in Sweden, but have no plans to introduce a similar measure in the United Kingdom.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many ferrous foundries closed in 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 to the most recent practicable date; and how many redundancies were created as a result of these closures.

The following table lists the ferrous foundries closed in 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982. Information on redundancies created directly by these closure is not available but the overall reduction of employees in ferrous foundries given includes those due to cut-backs by other foundries which have continued in business.

	Number of foundries closed	Number of employees reduced by:
1979	54	6,688
1980	47	11,523
1981	51	7,994
1982	46	6,524

asked the Secretary of State for Industry how many applications under the small firms loan guarantee scheme have been made to the most recent practicable date; how many have been approved; and how many guarantees have been required.

At the end of February 1983, the Department of Industry had issued 8,861 guarantees in respect of £295 million of bank lending. It is not possible to give a figure for the number of applications or potential applications that are considered and rejected by the banks. Very few applications are rejected by the Department. At the end of February 1983 the Department of Industry had authorised payment on 450 claims under the guarantee arrangements.

asked the Secretary of State for Industry if he will make a statement on the outcome of the review of the loan guarantee scheme.

As my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor said in yesterday's Budget statement, I have now completed my review of the loan guarantee scheme. During the review I took full account of the available statistics, I held a number of meetings with the participating banks and the main small firms organisations, and I received many comments and representations about the scheme's progress. In addition I was able to draw on two helpful and constructive reports by chartered accountants, Robson Rhodes, following studies commissioned by the Department of Industry and the clearing banks. One report relates to an analysis of some early claims under the scheme, the other is a commentary on a second telephone survey conducted by the Department of Industry. Both reports have provided an important input to my review and both were published today. Copies have been made available in the Library of the House.My review of the scheme has shown that the scheme has, so far, achieved its objectives and continues to operate well. The feedback I have received from the small business community suggests that the scheme has been well received and its catalytic effect on the provision of

other forms of finance has been welcome. I have no doubt that the scheme is proving to be a worthwhile experiment. Following the review I have decided on the following, but I should stress that the main features remain unchanged:

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he is satisfied with emergency procedure in relation to nuclear accidents.

Yes. Emergency arrangements at nuclear installations have recently been reviewed by the Government with all the organisations concerned. These arrangements are described in a booklet published in 1982 by the Health and Safety Executive entitled "Emergency Plans for Civil Nuclear Installations". A copy of this booklet has been placed in the Library.

asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he has completed his consideration of the sixth report of the Royal Commission on environmental pollution; and if he will make a statement.

I have been asked to reply.The response of the Government of the day to the sixth report was contained in the White Paper "Nuclear Power and the Environment"—Cmnd. 6820—published in May 1977. Our views on the subject are set out fully in the White Paper "Radioactive Waste Management"—Cmnd. 8607—published in July last year.

asked the right hon. Member for Middlesbrough, as representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Welwyn and Hatfield on 7 March, Official Report, c. 560, in what ways staff of the House who are not members of trade unions may make representations to the Commission.

There is an ultimate right of direct access to the Commission for each individual member of staff of House Departments, whether or not a trade union member, in the event of unresolved and unresolvable conflict with his or her head of Department. Where representations are made collectively by staff in grades not represented by trade unions, the Commission will refer them to the relevant head of Department. Submissions may be made to the Commission by heads of Departments on behalf of any of their staff.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report the forms, leaflets and pamphlets published by his Department which are available in either a Welsh language or a bilingual Welsh/English version.

None is produced by the Department, because my responsibility for education in Wales extends only to the university sector. Responsibility for education in the Principality, other than in the university sector, lies with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportions of the age groups 22, 23 and 24 years are studying for a second or higher degree.

In the academic year 1981–82, 1·1 per cent. of 22-year-olds, 1·0 per cent. of 23-year-olds and 0·8 per cent. of 24-year-olds in Great Britain were on full-time study for postgraduate qualifications.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in view of the recent cutbacks affecting the Hersham public library and its failure to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service, he will take steps to ensure that the statutory responsibilities of the Surrey county council to provide such a service are properly discharged.

I understand that Surrey county council has been making an experimental change in the public library service in Hersham, and that the experimental period will end on 12 April. I do not consider that this indicates a failure by the council to carry out its statutory duties under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether, in view of the fact that they study for a greater proportion of the year than other students, he will raise grants to medical students.

Medical students are one group, among many, who have to attend their courses for longer than that allowed for in the main rates of mandatory award. The Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations already provide for payment of an extra week's allowance to such students. My right hon. Friend announced on 8 November 1982 that the main rates of grant will be increased by 4 per cent. for the academic year 1983–84; the rates for extra weeks allowance are still being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make funds available to the University Grants Committee to enable the financial penalties imposed on those universities which exceeded student numbers set by the University Grants Committee to be lifted.

The University Grants Committee's decision involves a redistribution of the funds available for the universities. It does not alter their total.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now publish the results of the survey carried out into school allocation appeal procedures referred to on 20 December 1982, Official Report, c. 806–807, and place copies in the Library.

The main results of this informal survey were set out in my reply earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighouse and Spenborough (Mr. Waller). There will be no formal report for publication.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current number of students on university undergraduate courses in textile technology; what was the number in 1981–82; and what is the projected figure for 1983–84.

This information is not readily available.

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the first year's experience of the school admission and appeal provisions of the Education Act 1980.

Inquiries of local education authorities by the Department indicate that in general the new arrangements for admission to schools, parental appeals and the publication of information about schools introduced under the 1980 Education Act have worked well. The role of parents and their rights in relation to school admissions have been enhanced. Some 9,000 parents dissatisfied with school admission decisions for the autumn of 1982 had recourse to the new local appeal committees where some 3,000, about one in three, were successful. There has also been a significant extension in the quality and range of information made available to parents about schools and about local authority policies and arrangements for education in their areas. In the light of their experience last year local education authorities will, I believe, be in a position further to improve the operation of their arrangements in the interests of parents.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West of 2 March, Official Report, c. 143, a decision has yet been made on charging Mr. Clive Moore for possessing a firearm without a firearms certificate; whether any disciplinary action has been or is to be taken against him; and whether he will make a statement.

We understand that the Director of Public Prosecutions, to whom the papers were referred by the Commissioner, has advised that the interests of justice do not require the institution of criminal proceedings in this case. The Commissioner informs us that disciplinary proceeding have been instituted against Mr. Moore.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have recently been made for reception into prison of women from Greenham Common charged with breach of the peace.

Females given custodial sentences or committed to prison by courts in the south east part of England are normally received into Holloway prison for allocation either to another prison department establishment or to another part of Holloway. The women from Greenham Common who were recently committed to prison for breach of the peace were received into Holloway in this way.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the standard deviation from the mean for individual constituency electorates at the time of the last Boundary Commission recommendations for

standard deviation* of electorates
	Recommendations of second periodical reports (1968 electorates)	Electorates of present constituencies (1982)	Recommendations of third periodical reports (1982 electorates)
England	8,767	16,228	6,755
Scotland	13,342	†15,821	†7,907
Wales	11,160	14,711	7,234
* The standard deviation is a measure of the spread of a set of figures about their mean value. A standard deviation is calculated as the square root of the average of the squared differences between each figure and the mean value.
† Published in table 4 of the third periodical report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland. Volume 1, Cmnd. 8794.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are any circumstances in which information held by the police about British citizens is made available to foreign embassies.

It is not the practice of the police to disclose such information to foreign embassies.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each prison in England and Wales the approved prison officer staffing and the vacancies for such staff that exist in each prison.

The information requested, relating to all forms of prison department establishment in England and Wales as at 28 February 1983, is as follows:

Establishment	Authorised staffing levels: prison officers	Vacancies
Acklington	154	4
Albany	306	41
Aldington	45	7
Ashford	238	34
Ashwell	72	11
Askham Grange	45	4
Aylesbury	131	14
Bedford	206	41
Birmingham	389	20
Blantyre House	47	5
Blundeston	155	26
Bristol	263	8
Brixton	670	79
Brockhill	108	28
Buckley Hall	48½	1½
Bullwood Hall	91	16
Camp Hill	206	-3
Campsfield House	41	4
Canterbury	164	0
Cardiff	219½	16½
Channings Wood	127	6
Chelmsford	183	15
Coldingley	180	39
Cookham Wood	63	10
Dartmoor	237	22

The information requested is given in the following table. The figures for Scotland have been supplied by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Establishment	Authorised staffing levels: prison officers	Vacancies
Deerbolt	132½	27½
Dorchester	95	6
Dover	114½	9½
Drake Hall	68	1
Durham	384	-5
East Sutton Park	26½	½
Eastwood Park	53½	7½
Erlestoke House	96½	12½
Everthorpe	110	11
Exeter	234	13
Featherstone	159	29
Feltham	173½	21½
Ford	97	8
Foston Hall	40½	5½
Frankland	335	58
Gartree	269	54
Gaynes Hall	62	27
Glen Parva	279½	39½
Gloucester	143	4
Grendon (including Spring Hill)	176	30
Guys Marsh	69½	11½
Haslar	48	2
Hatfield	92	9
Haverigg	125	23
Hewell Grange	55	3
Highpoint	82	6
Hindley	118	19
Hollesley Bay	245	50
Holloway	330	28
Hull	291	31
Huntercombe	68½	5½
Kingston (Portsmouth)	68	4
Kirkham	81	4
Kirklevington	51	5
Lancaster	93	2
Latchmere House	86	9
Leeds	380	36
Leicester	245	20
Lewes	216	15
Leyhill	60	5
Lincoln	251	28
Liverpool	458	68
Long Lartin	356	46
Lowdham Grange	89½	-6½
Low Newton	127	18

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on the basis of Sergeant O'Leary's first suspension on 11 January 1979 until June 1981 and again on 21 July 1981 until the present date, on full pay and allowances, what have been the total drawings of money and allowances by this Metropolitan police sergeant; and whether he will make a statement.

My noble Friend will write to the hon. Member.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give, for the longest available period of time, the number of cases where a judge has recommended a minimum sentence, and, of these, the number where the minimum recommended sentence was in fact served.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to his question on 24 February.—[Vol. 37, c. 489–90.] Of such prisoners so far released, two have been detained for at least the minimum period recommended by the trial judge.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Commonwealth citizens were admitted to and debarred from entry to the United Kingdom in the most recent year for which figures are available; and in the latter case, what was the reason for the refusal of permission to enter.

Figures for Commonwealth citizens of admissions by category and of total refusals of leave to enter at ports are published annually in "Control of Immigration: Statistics"—table 1(a) of the issue for 1981, Cmnd. 8533. The following table gives an analysis of the reasons for refusal.

Commonwealth citizens admitted and refused leave to enter at ports 1981
	Number of journeys
Total admissions	1,500,000
Total refusals	5,788
of which
Insufficient means for visit or not genuine visitor	3,585
Transit passenger thought to be unable or not intending to proceed at once to another country and assured of entry there	1,153
Intention to study not genuine or unsatisfactory arrangements for study	156
Seeking employment without a work permit	48
Other reasons	846

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to enable the owners of property to call upon the police to have squatters evicted.

My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so. It is already a criminal offence for a person who has entered premises as a trespasser to fail to leave when required to do so by a displaced residential occupier or protected intending occupier, and the police have power to arrest such a person. Otherwise trespass is largely a matter for the civil law, but the police may assist owners to eject trespassers. My right hon. Friend is currently undertaking a review of the law relating to trespass on residential premises, in connection with which he issued a consultant paper on 2 February.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has reached any conclusion about the suitability of Trafalgar Square under present conditions for the accommodation in safety of very large crowds following his receipt of the coroner's verdict on deaths in the square in connection with last new year's eve celebrations; and if he will make a statement.

I have asked the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis for a report when he has completed an examination of the events in Trafalgar Square, and of the police operation, during the celebrations. The purpose of the examination, which is taking account of the inquest findings, is to assist in the identification and adoption of any necessary lessons for the future. I shall report to the House when I have received and considered the Commissioner's report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue a circular drawing to the attention of returning officers for the new parliamentary constituencies the spending limits for parliamentary elections for each candidate and the rules governing the spending of money in any pre-election campaign period.

Home Office officials informed all returning officers of the current maximum permitted election expenses on 16 March 1982. It is, however, not the acting returning officer's function to advise candidates or their agents on the conduct of an election campaign.

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to require coroners to publish the costs of provisions of defence solicitors and banisters where these are paid for from public funds;and if he will make a statement.

No. I know of no authority at present enabling the costs of legal representation in proceedings before a coroner's court to be paid for from public funds.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the allocations to health boards under the Scottish health authorities revenue equalisation system for each of the last four years.

Total allocations to health boards to meet their revenue and capital expenditure commitments in the years requested are as follows:

£'000
Health Boards	1979–80	1980–81	1981–82	1982–83
Argyll and Clyde	54,936	69,759	79,487	85,475
Ayreshire and Arran	31,898	44,576	51,453	56,743
Borders	10,416	13,606	15,466	16,925
Dumfries and Galloway	19,364	25,629	28,035	30,416
Fife	34,564	44,471	51,135	55,452
Forth Valley	32,224	45,600	50,478	53,990
Grampian	64,633	85,296	94,855	103,618
Greater Glasgow	209,017	267,770	297,561	315,778
Highland	28,813	36,772	40,461	42,590
Lanarkshire	60,002	79,633	88,087	95,332
Lothian	122,026	158,862	176,912	190,604
Orkney	1,851	2,414	2,857	3,083
Shetland	2,761	3,074	3,518	3,869
Tayside	75,681	99,134	108,124	113,816
Western Isles	3,341	4,573	5,218	5,745
Total	753,547	981,169	1,093,647	1,173,436

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many courses of dental treatment were carried out under the National Health Service in Scotland on 16 to 20-year-olds during the years 1979, 1980, 1981 and 1982.

The available information is set out in the following table. Details are not yet available for 1982, and the figures for 1981 reflect the lowering of the upper age for free dental treatment from 21 to 18 which took effect on 1 April 1981.

	Numbers
1979	338,680
1980	349,467
1981	*92,225
1981	†153,700
* 16 to 20-year-olds to 31 March 1981.
† 16 to 18-year-olds from 1 April 1981.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many suicides and attempted suicides there were in Scotland for the years 1975 to 1982, inclusive; and if he will break down the figures by region.

Figures for 1975 to 1981 are published in the annual reports of the Registrar General for Scotland—table C2.16—copies of which are in the Library. Final figures for 1982 are not yet available. Statistics on the number of attempted suicides in Scotland are not available centrally.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total amount allocated in each of the years 1979–80, 1980–81 and 1981–82 by his Department to Women's Aid.

The information is as follows:

Year	£
1979–81*	27,990
1981–82	23,000
* 18-month period to take account of change in Scottish Women's Aid financial year.

An additional grant of £9,895 per year for a maximum of three years is also made towards the salary and expenses of a children's worker who took up appointment on 15 March 1982.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what financial allocations he has made to health boards for 1983–84.

I have allocated to health boards £1,221 million—£1,217 million net—for revenue expenditure and £32 million for locally managed capital expenditure on the hospitals and community health services programme in 1983–84. After taking account of boards' income on revenue account, the net cash limited allocations to individual health boards are as follows:

Health Board	Revenue	Ordinary Capital	Total
	Expenditure	Programme
	£ million (net)	£ million	£ million
Argyll and Clyde	88·440	2·595	91·035
Ayrshire and Arran	59·679	2·128	61·807
Borders	17·555	0·586	18·141
Dumfries and Galloway	31·175	0·848	32·023
Fife	57·596	1·933	59·529
Forth Valley	56·550	1·568	58·118
Grampian	105·661	2·909	108·570
Greater Glasgow	327·130	6·873	334·003
Highland	44·937	1·181	46·118
Lanarkshire	98·427	3·213	101·640
Lothian	195·369	4·992	200·361
Orkney	3·185	0·112	3·297
Shetland	3·968	0·141	4·109
Tayside	115·777	2·736	118·513
Western Isles	5·955	0·185	6·140
Total	*1,211·404	32·000	1,243·404
* Not yet allocated £6 million.

In addition to the allocations made for the ordinary capital programme, a further £6·5 million has been made available to health boards for expenditure in 1983–84 on hospitals and other buildings which require urgent improvement and upgrading.

asked the Attorney-General if he will give the reasons why he will not seek to make it a condition of the receipt by retired members of the judiciary of publicly funded pensions that they should not give formal legal advice or take professional part in legal proceedings.

There is no need whatever for such action.

asked the Attorney-General if, in view of the fact that courts in Wales do not send out bilingual or Welsh language documentation and correspondence to persons requesting notification of court action through the medium of the Welsh language, he will take steps to ensure that all standard documents sent out by the courts in Wales are printed in a bilingual format.

At commencement of proceedings issued in the county courts and in the Crown court in Wales, litigants are notified, by means of a bilingual notice, that a Welsh language version of the documents will be provided on request. The Lord Chancellor would be glad to receive from the hon. Member particulars of any cases in which it is claimed that this has not been done. Since High court documents are served by the parties themselves, no such bilingual notice is attached to High court documents issued in Wales, but if any party seeks a Welsh translation, the court will arrange for this to be provided.

asked the Attorney-General if he will list in the Official Report those forms, leaflets and pamphlets published by his Department which are available in a Welsh language or a bilingual Welsh/English format.

My Department does not publish forms, leaflets or pamphlets.

asked the Attorney-General if, in view of the fact that his Honour Judge Robert Charles Chope pleaded guilty and was sentenced on 3 March for two offences, the Lord Chancellor will dismiss him from the bench.

Judge Chope was convicted at Penrhyn magistrates court on 2 March 1983 of driving without reasonable consideration to other road users and not having a test certificate. He was fined £60 and his licence endorsed with two penalty points. The suggestion contained in the question is quite unacceptable to the Lord Chancellor.

asked the Attorney-General how many times the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 has been used to prosecute individual trade unionists in the past five years.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has not instituted any proceedings under the Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act 1875 during the past five years. I have no information concerning such proceedings by other prosecuting authorities.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will take steps to set up a Wales (Welsh) medical practitioner committee, in view of the fact that doctors from the Principality have only a single representative on the London-based medical practitioner committee.

The medical practices committee covers the whole of England and Wales and has only two members from the London area. With one member out of eight on the committee, my right hon. Friend and I do not consider that doctors from Wales are under-represented. Nevertheless, we will shortly be consulting interested bodies in Wales on the desirability or otherwise of establishing a-separate committee for Wales.

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for the years-1980, 1981 and 1982 the number of kilometres of (a) trunk motorways, (b) other trunk roads, (c) local authority motorways, (d) other principal roads and (e) other roads in Wales.

The figures are as follows:

	1980	1981	1982
Trunk motorways	94	107	120
Other trunk roads	1,627	1,641	1,645
Local authority motorways	—	—	—
Other principal roads	2,454	2,457	2,445
Other roads	27,164	27,665	27,829

asked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the present number of qualified teachers registered as unemployed in Wales in aggregate and in the various categories such as secondary, primary, pre-primary and special education teachers and the numbers unemployed in aggregate and in the same categories in March 1975 and March 1979, respectively.

The latest available information relates to September 1982 and is as follows:

Numbers of Qualified Teachers Registered as Unemployed
	Sept. 1982	March 1979	March 1975
Secondary	1,108	466	54
Primary	1,164	419	54
Pre-Primary	15	3	9
Special education teachers	37	18	4
Total	2,324	906	121

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what publicity is being provided on the protection of wild plants protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

New measures for the protection of wild plants were brought into force on 28 September 1982 and were announced in a press notice and set out more fully in a circular to local authorities. About 100,000 copies of a booklet "Wildlife the Law and You", published by the Nature Conservancy Council, have been distributed widely, including a copy to every primary and secondary school and to every university and college library. Under the auspices of the NCC, the voluntary conservation movement has also produced a number of leaflets and wall charts.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has given consideration to the recruitment, training and qualifications of sheltered housing wardens, with a view to making recommendations to local authorities on the matter.